Brassiere



Dec. 16, 1958 W. J. BUCKLEY BRASSIERE Filed Aug. 4, 1955 IN V EN TOR.

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WILLIAM d. BUEKLEIY l lllllllllll lil Ifilllllnllllllllll.

BY m um .ATTDRNEY United States Patent O BRASSIERE William J. Buckley, Shelton, Conn., assiglor to The La Resista 4Corset Company, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application August 4, 1955, Serial No. 526,444

6 Claims. (Cl. 12S-481) ,T he' present invention relates to an improvement in brassieres, particularly of the type employing pneumatic bladders, as disclosed in the U. S. Letters Patent to William F. Davenport and Howard A. Smith for Brassiere, v

No. 2,544,300 granted March 6, 1951, and preferably provided with valve means as disclosed in the U. S. Letters Patent to William F. Davenport and Howard A. Smith for Self-Sealing Valve for Inflatable Pneumatic Bladders and the Like, No. 2,597,924, granted May 27, 1952.

The brassierev disclosed in Patent No. 2,544,300 is particularly intended for women having a bust which is underdeveloped, flat, unsymmetrical or otherwise lacking in normal or natural configuration, it being proposed in said brassiere to provide a predetermined external shape designed to give an accepted ideal contour for a given size, and provided with pneumatic form-filling' layers of plastic sheet material forming the bladder, the" whole being secured together by heat produced seams so that the resultant valve structure is extremely thin and will lie flat without bulges or projections. A suitable commercial plastic sheet material for both the bladder and the valve is vinyl film, such for instance as produced by the Bakelite Company of New York, N. Y. under the name Vinylite, this material being a copolymerk of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate. Because of the impervious nature of the plastic sheet material and the close engagement of the brassiere with the body of the wearer, it is desirable that means be provided for affording kventilation between the brassiere and the body of the wearer, -and it is an object of the present invention to provide in a brassiere of the above described type, effectual Ventilating means in the form of air openings extending from the exterior to the interior of the bladder in such ,relation that they will not interfere with the normal inflation thereof to adapt it to the form of the particular wearer. To this end, it is proposed to provide in the marginal portion of the bladder a series of areas in which the two layers thereof are permanently adhered together in air-sealing relation, and further to provide Ventilating openings through the adhered areas so that air may pass from the. exterior to the interior of the bladder without allowing escape of the inflation air within the bladder. v f v A further object is to provide an improved inflatable j 2,864,373 Patented Dec. 16, 1958 ICC bladder wherein the adhered marginal areas will control the ination of the bladder within the marginal areas, so that the inflated bladder will have a substantially permanent tapered or feathered marginal portion, thus substantially reducing inward pressure at the marginal portion of the bladder while still permitting a degree of inflation of the marginal portion between the adhered areas, and further providing air spaces between the marginal portion of the bladder and the body of the wearer for more electual ventilation of the the brassiere through the Ventilating openings provided therein.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein satisfactory embodiments of the invention are shown. However, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevation of a brassiere provided with pneumatic bladders according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, on an enlarged scale, of one of the bladders employed, this being the left hand bladder as seen in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation,'partially in vertical section, of the bladder as seen in Fig. V2, the same being in its deilated condition;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken along the line 4 4 of Fig. l, the bladder being dellated;

Fig. 5 is a similar view and showing the bladder inflated, the dot-and-dash lines indicating the outline of the wearer;

`Fig. 6 is a fragmentary front elevation, on a further enlarged scale, of the valve portion of the bladder and showing at each side of the valve portion two adhered areas having Ventilating openings;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view, on a still further enlarged scale, taken -along the line 7-7 of Fig. 6;

Fig.8 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 88 of Fig. 6, the bladder being deflated;

Fig. 9 is a similar view showing a tube inserted in the valve for inating the bladder;

Fig. 10 is asimilar viewshowing the bladder inflated and the valve in self-sealing relation, the tube having been removed;

Fig. l1 is a fragmentary view, similarV to Fig. 6, and showing a modified form of Ventilating means;

Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line 12-12 of Fig. 1l; and

Fig. 13k is a view similar to Fig. 1l and showing another modied form of Ventilating means.

Referring to the drawings, the brassiere comprises a pair of bust-receiving pockets 10 joined together along a center seam 11 and'secured along their lower edges 12 to a diaphragm 'band 13 provided with horizontal elastic inserts 14-"14, the side edges of the bust pockets and the end edges of the elastic inserts being connected by seams 15-15 to the forward edges of the back strap sections 16-16, one of which is provided at its free end with hook fasteners 17 while the other is provided at its free end with a horizontally elastic band 18 provided at its end with a tab"19 having eye fasteners 20 for engagement by the hook fasteners 17. Shoulder straps 21--21 are connected between the upper edges ofthe bust pockets and the back strap sections.

- The 'bust pockets 10 each consist of a porous 4outer fabric layer 22 of full-fashioned form, and a porous inner fabric layer 23, also full-fashioned `and substantially conforming to the outer layer 'at its peripheral edge, but hav-` ing slightly less rounded projection, so as to provide a narrow space between them in their assembled relation, this space converging at the margins where the edgesof the layers are brought together. Along the inner side of the seam 15, the edge of the inner layer 23 is suitably nished.- by hemming orthejlike, andis unattachedwithvref spect tothe seam to provide a slit opening 24ato the;

space between the layers for the purposeof inserting or removing the pneumatic bladder, as will presently more fully appear.

The upper edge of the outer layer 22 of the pocket is of substantially inverted V-shape with the shoulder strap secured at the apex, and the inner layer 2,3 is cut straight across just below the apex and is unattached` to provide a slot opening 2S through which the valve portion of the pneumatic bladder may be projected, as will presently more fully appear. The edge of the inner layer at the slot opening 25 is suitably finished by binding stitches or the like 26.

The fabric of the outer layer 22may be of any suitable porous material, as for instance, marquisette, satin, cotton, nylon, or the like, which material is relatively thin and flexible but is substantially non-stretchable so that that predetermined form given to` the outer layer will be the external form of the brassiere. While the full-fashioning of the layers 22 and 23 may becarried out in any of the usual ways, the same is shown as formed of upper and lower sections seamed along a transverse outwardly curved line 27, the lower section being provided substantially centrally with an upwardly and outwardly curved dart seam 28. The inner layer 23 may be of similar material to the outer layer, or it may be of a porous lining material especially suited for soft engagement with the skin.

The pneumatic bladders` indicated generally as 29, are

engaged within the pocket spaces between the layers 22 and 23 of the two bust pockets 10-10, being inserted therein through the slit openings 2.4;V These bladders are formed of an air-impervious very thin light-weight exible sheet material, a suitable material for this purpose being a thin plastic sheet, such as one of the vinyl film plastics, which is capable of having two layers seamed together by the application of heat to form an airtight bond between them. This material, which is also preferably employed for forming the components of the valve means, as will presently more fully appear, is also capable of being produced with either one or both surfaces highly polished.

The bladder 29 is formed of two layers 30 and 31, fullfashioned so as to impart thereto a similar shape to that provided by the full-fashioning -of the fabric layers 22 and 23 of the brassiere pockets 10, this full-fashioning being preferably carried out by suitably molding the plastic sheet material to give it the desired shape. As clearly shown in Fig. 3, the inner layer 31 has slightlyless' projection than the outer layer 30, so that in the deilatedcondition of the bladders there is a very slight space between the layers, the outline shape of the bladders being substantially the same as the outline shape of the pockets 10, the bladders being thus provided in right and left pairs. Thus, when the bladders are inserted in the pockets 10, they substantially conform to the outline of the pockets, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. At the apex of the upper edge of the layers and 31 and at a point substantially coinciding with the point of attachment of the shoulder straps to the bust pockets, there are provided tongue extensions 32 and 33 for the purpose of providing an air-injection nozzle in which the valve is incorporated, as will presently more fully appear.

The valve means comprises a pair of layerst34. and of thin flexible air-impervious plastic sheet material, such as one of the well-known vinyl film plastics, and having their contacting -surfaces of a highly polished or glossy smoothness. This smoothness is of such high degree that the contacting surfaces are capable of adhering to each other through molecular adhesion of the matel rial alone, that is, such adhesion will take place without maintaining extraneous pressure on the contacting surfaces other than would exist, for instance, in free atmosphere.

The two layers 34 and 35 are first respectively secured across the upper ends of the tongue extensions 32 and 33 by heat produced seams 36 and 37, and thereupon the two layers 30 and 31 together with the valve layers 34 and 35 are secured together by a peripheral heat produced seam 38, this seam extending entirely about the edges of the two layers and along the side edges of the tongue extensions 32 and 33 and terminating at the ends of the seams 36 and 37 so that an air injection passage may be provided between the valve layers 34 and 35 by forcing them apart. As clearly shown in Figs. l and 2, the bladder when incorporated in the brassiere has the nozzle portion projected from the upper edge of the inner layer 23 of the bust pocket through the slit opening 25 directly behind the apex portion of the outer layer 22 in concealed relation at the point where the shoulder strap is connected. Because of the very thin flexible nature of the material of the bladder and the valve layers, this nozzle portion will lie at and will not produce any appreciable' bulge. lt is also readily and conveniently accessible for the purpose of inflation or deflation of the bladder, as will presently more fully appear.

Within the marginal portion of the bladder there is provided a plurality of substantially circumferentially spaced and substantially radially disposed adhered and perforated areas in which the two layers 30 and 31 of the bladder are adhered together in air-sealing relation. As shown in Figs. 1w7, each such area consists of a plurality of adhered spots 39 preferably circular and radially spaced, three such spots being illustrated, these adhered pots being preferably produced simultaneously with the production 0f the seam 38, and each such spot having a circular Ventilating opening 40 punched or otherwise suitably provided therein, the wall of the perforation being thus formed by the adhered area of the layers 30 and 31 in surrounding relation to the opening, so that the opening is sealed with respect tothe interior of the bladder.

The substantially radial disposition of the adhered areas and their circumferential spacing is such that in the inated condition of the bladder, as seen in Fig. 5, the two layers 30 and 31 of the bladder are prevented from separating in the immediately adhered area, but air can enter between the layers in the marginal portion of the bladder between adjacent adhered areas providing a slight inflation of the bladder between the adhered areas while the main portion of the bladder inwardly of the adhered areas is free to be inflated to any desired extent. Thus the inflation of the marginal portion of the bladder is controlled and maintained in a substantially feathered or taperedshape, the slight inflation of the bladder between the adhered areas producing at the adhered areas slight furrows or depressions to thus more freely permit of the circulation of air admitted through the openings to the interior of the brassiere.

When the bladder is inserted in the pocket, its`conforming shape will allow it to tit smoothly betweenthe layers 22 and 23, and both'in its deated and inated conditions it will be effectually retained in place due to the fact that it is substantially Wider in a vertical direction than the length of the slit opening 24. This positive positioning is further brought about by the engagement of thenozzle portion of the bladder in the slot opening 25. v

The inating operation is carried out preferably with the brassiere tted upon the wearer and fastened at the back. For this purpose, a small straw-like tube 41 is provided of such length, about six inches, that onbeing inserted between the valve layers 34 and 35, as shown in Fig. 9, with its end slightly below the lower edges of the valve layers, its upper end will be conveniently accessible to the mouth of the wearer so that air may be blown into the bladder while the brassiere is in place.

As soon as the desired amount of air is blown into the bladder, the tube is quickly withdrawn and thereupon the nozzle end of the bladder is pressed ilat by the iingers to insure complete contact of the polished inner surfaces of the valve layers 34 and 35, although such contact will take place automatically through the action of the air pressure within the bladder pressing upon the sides of the lower portion of the layers extending into the air space, as seen in Fig. 10. The valve is thus self-sealed by molecular adhesion caused by the contact of the polished surfaces of the layers. If it is desired to partially or wholly deflate the bladder, it is only necessary to insert the tube in the valve, as shown in Fig. 9, whereupon the air within the bladder will be allowed to escape to the desired degree.

The bladders are not inflated to any great extent but are simply intended to have enough air placed therein to compensate for the difference in form of the wearer and the predetermined form of the bust pocket or outer layer Z2. In the position of the brassiere upon the body, as shown in Fig. 5, the inner layer 31 of the bladder member and the inner fabric layer 23 are simply pressed inwardly to the body, the softness and flexibility of the material allowing this to take place without any appreciable discomfort from the slight wrinkling that takes place in the preformed material as it is pressed inwardly from the normal position, as shown in Fig. 4, to the body-conforming position, as shown in Fig. 5. In this latter position, the spacing of the inner layers from the outer layers will be entirely dependent upon the particular form of the wearer, that is, the inner layers will not tend to change or distort the form of the wearer but will conform thereto with an even all-over pressure, and at the same time the outer layer 30 of the bladder will be pressed by the entrapped air into conforming relation to the outer layer 22 of the bust pocket.

In Fig. 11 is shown a modification in which the adhered areas each consist in providing an elongated heat produced adhered band portion 42 provided with a series of circular spaced openings 43.

In Fig. 13 there is shown another modification in which the adhered areas each consist in an elongated heat produced adhered band portion 44 provided with an elongated slot 45.

What is claimed is:

1. For use in a brassiere, an air-inatable bladder member comprising an outer layer of exible, air-impervious non-elastic material, an inner layer of flexible, air-impervious material joined at its periphery to the periphery of said outer layer by an air-impervious seal to provide an air containing space between said layers, and Ventilating means comprising air openings extending through said layers, and each defined by an air seal connection between said layers -in surrounding relation to said opening, said Ventilating means being arranged in circumferentially spaced relation in the marginal portion only of said bladder member, the areas of said layers inwardly of said Ventilating means being imperforate and unsecured to each other, and said layers being in bonded contact with each other at said air seal connections surrounding said openings and being unsecured in the circumferentially spaced areas between said circumferentially space Ventilating means.

2. The invention as defined in claim l, wherein said Ventilating means are arranged along substantially radial lines.

3. The invention as deiined in claim l, wherein said Ventilating means each comprise an air seal connection in the form of a circular spot having an air opening centered therein in spaced relation to its peripheral edge.

4. The invention as defined in claim l, wherein said Ventilating means each comprise an air seal connection in the form of an elongated parallel-sided band having a plurality of longitudinally spaced air openings therein in inwardly spaced relation to its peripheral edge.

5. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said venticating means 'each comprise an air seal connection in the form of an elongated parallel-sided band having a slot opening therein in spaced relation to its peripheral edge.

6. The invention as defined in claim l, further charu acterized by scalable means in communication with the air containing space between said layers for admitting air to said space.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,582,648 Mowbray J an. 15, 

